The owner of the Edmonton Oilers, feeling the heat from fans for threatening to move the NHL team to Seattle, apologized Saturday in full-page newspaper ads.
"I took for granted your support and your love for the Oilers," said Daryl Katz in the open letter. "That was wrong, and I apologize.
"The simple fact is that the Oilers need Edmonton, and Edmonton needs the Oilers."
Katz and the city are dead-locked over funding for a new proposed downtown arena that is pegged at $475 million but - when loan payments, land fees and surrounding amenities are factored in - is actually more than $700 million and rising.
The two sides are still negotiating to try to strike a deal before the city's deadline of Oct. 17.
Last Monday, Katz and Oiler brass went to Seattle to meet with the officials about relocating the team to the Pacific Northwest. That same day, Seattle officials signed off on a plan for a $490-million US arena that both sides hope will be home to NBA and NHL teams.
Even though it was lastminute demands by Katz that derailed the current Edmonton deal, Katz said Monday it was the lack of a deal with Edmonton that forced him to look elsewhere to places like Seattle and beyond.
The Seattle talks brought anger and indignation in Edmonton, where the Oilers routinely sell out their current home at Rexall Place. The Oilers dominate sports coverage in print, broadcast and on the Web, even in the dog days of summer.
